Jerry Sandusky’s Lawyers Argue For New Trial

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (CBS) – The walk from the Centre County courthouse to the waiting sheriff’s car may be the last time we see Jerry Sandusky. The 68-year-old former football coach is in solitary confinement 23 hours a day, allowed two phone calls a month, and even his own defense team admits their chances for a retrial are slim at best.

“We’re in the race,” said attorney Norris Gelman. “I wouldn’t count us out.”

Gelman argued the defense did not have enough time to prepare for trial with 12,000 pages of documents to review, some coming in only days before the trial.

“The mere fact that he was prevented from preparing would be enough to reverse it,” said Gelman.

Prosecutors say attorney Joe Amendola had all the time he needed to prepare, since the only relevant documents were delivered six months before the trial date.

“It was a very, very fair trial, and Mr. Amendola had ample opportunity – more than ample opportunity – to develop the information he needed, to utilize it effectively at trial. But he was overcome by, as I said, true victims,” said prosecutor Joe McGettigan.

Prosecutors argued – and Joe Amendola admitted on the stand – that all of the documents that came in late were irrelevant.

“The information that we’re talking about here that was turned over to the defense in May, the month before the trial, largely had nothing to do with these victims,” said prosecutor Frank Fina.

Sandusky had not been to the Bellefonte courthouse since he was sentenced back in October to 30-60 years in prison. If this push for a retrial fails, Sandusky will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.